2014 Member Meet-up 7/22-7/27

[Hobbes]

Orbitor wrote:
Are the dates and location confirmed?

Yes, this is the location and the dates for our 2014 HST meet-up.

Mav, what days are you expecting people to be around the Wallace region? I'm planning on doing the same exact hike as Jim:

Mon 7/21 Day 0 - drive up from OC, shuttle car @ Shepherd, get dropped off @ Horseshoe around 4-5pm, hike to Cottonwood #3 (5.5 miles) [This should also miss the early morning marathon traffic]
Tues 7/22 Day 1 - go over Army, hike up Langley shoulder, drop into upper Soldier, hike past SBL and over Crabtree pass to lake #3 (11.4 miles)
Wed 7/23 Day 2 - follow trail down to PCT @ Crabtree mdw, head up PCT to Wallace jct & hike up to Wallace lake (10.6 miles)
Thurs 7/24 Day 3 - lollygag around Wallace (fish, etc) and then head off to WLB in the afternoon (4.0 miles via x-c shortcut)
Fri 7/25 Day 4 - go over Rockwell pass, catch trail to Shepherd and head to Symmes TH (13.2 miles). Get cleaned up @ the hostel, drink some beer, scarf some food and crash.
Sat 7/26 Day X - Get up early and head back to LA around 6am - home by 10am

Total miles: 44.7

If anyone like Jim, Bluewater, Doyle or others are interested in dropping off their cars at Shepherd, I can arrange a shuttle with a guy I know who would probably comp the rate. It doesn't really matter if any/every one wanted to head out someplace other than Horseshoe either; Onion, Portal, etc would all be fine as long as the initial drop was @ Shepherd. Just PM if interested.

Also, once your car is @ Shepherd, and if you do decide to head out via HM, there isn't any obligation of course to follow the same path, pace, etc. The key is having your car at your desired exit point and do your own hike exactly how you wish.

On that note, if someone with experience wanted to exit via Carillon and E-ledges down to Portal, I'd be open to following. Once @ Portal, I'd just have to figure out a way to retrieve my car @ Shepherd.

[maverick]

Hi Hobbes,

Would say that most folks will need 2 full days to get to Wallace Basin so that means
we all should probably expect to spend the 24th-25th together in Wallace Basin, and
then for those who are heading out use part of the 26th and 27th to get back to the car.

Just to reiterate, even if you joined today, your a HST member and are invited to this
meet-up.

[Hobbes]

I put together a spreadsheet for a Cottonwood to Shepherd hike via Wallace that lists major milestones, daily miles, total cumulative mileage, etc:



(Just click on the blank image place marker.) It might be useful for anyone interested in doing part or all of this hike, whether or not they make the meetup.

A note on day 1 - the Langley shoulder where you start descending to upper Soldier is around 12,450. That means you start from 11,150, hike up to 12,450, drop back to 11,150, go over Crabtree @ 12,550, then drop to 11,300 at lake #3 for a total of approx 11.4 miles.

It's a lot of up and down, but I've done it twice before, and if there was ever an easy use trail/x-c route, Langley, Miter and Crabtree are about as good as it gets. No talus (except for minor amounts on the north side of Crabtree), with hard ramps and no trees/bushes to interfere with clear lines-of-sight.

The mph and total hours are based on records I've kept from previous trips throughout the area - YMMV. I think I've hedged them slow to deal with the usual mucking around with snacks, rest breaks, water replenishment (I don't filter - I either drink straight up or use chlorine tabs), etc.

Even if day 1&2 pushed out to 6+ hours, you could still pull in by 2pm if you left by 8am. The last day doesn't really matter, since it's all downhill after Shepherd (except for a re-gain of 500'), and you've basically got all day to get to your car.

The last time I did Shepherd, I hiked from upper Vidette & over Forrester before heading down to Symmes for around 18+ miles. It's hard, but not that hard, especially since there's beer & food waiting in Lone Pine. Bottom line, this all very doable.

[KathyW]

It's pretty easy to get to Soldier Lake (the lower one) from Horseshoe Meadows in one day. The easiest route is via Cottonwood Pass. Also, if I had to pick between New Army and Army Pass, I would go over New Army Pass. Getting to Soldier Lake in the first day would give you more time to enjoy the rest of the journey, but that's just my take on things.

[Hobbes]

It's pretty easy to get to Soldier Lake (the lower one) from Horseshoe Meadows in one day. The easiest route is via Cottonwood Pass. Also, if I had to pick between New Army and Army Pass, I would go over New Army Pass. Getting to Soldier Lake in the first day would give you more time to enjoy the rest of the journey, but that's just my take on things.

I agree about Cottonwood pass - I've done every pass a few times going back and forth in various loops between Miter and the PCH. Sometimes I feel like I'm slumming it, but it's such an easy point to get to from LA for a quick in & out.

The thing about Cottonwood is you either have to go all the way to Soldier or pull up short @ Chickenspring. Personally, I sort of hate Soldier (I think it's surprisingly bland), so it's no place I'd like to spend the night. Besides, if I were to leave in the morning, 9 miles is too short for me - much better to continue to SBL.

Also, CP is so flat & fast, I can avg almost 3mph, so I can get to Soldier in under 4 hours. Leave at 8am and arrive at noon to do ... what? Hang out around a grassy, shallow lake with obstructed views, poor fishing, and, did I mention, lots of people? [It's a tangent of the PCH a lot of people take vs Rock Creek + it has a bear box.] And did I mention the trees? Trees everywhere blocking the views! LOL end rant.

OTH, if one were to hit the tail in the afternoon (as I'm planning after shuttling my car), the Cottonwood lakes are much prettier and put you in position to go up and over the next day. The total gain/loss is almost a toss up between dropping down to (lower) Soldier from NAP or gaining an extra 500' from AP up Langley and then dropping down to (upper) Soldier. Again, it comes down to taste - I think the trail down from NAP is boooring, and don't like lower Soldier. Going up the Langley shoulder provides great views, and upper Soldier is much nicer IMO.

What's got me interested in this trip are four things:
- finally stitching together some last pieces of the area between Whitney and Shepherd
- fishing Wallace
- meeting some posters
- slowing down and hanging out/fishing this place (yes, that's a beach):



Side note: This is the lake I dream of as I'm jogging along trying to get in hiking shape. I hate jogging, but it makes it all worthwhile to make it here not completely whacked out.

[maverick]

Hobbes wrote:
What's got me interested in this trip are three things:
- finally stitching together some last pieces of the area between Whitney and Shepherd
- fishing Wallace
- slowing down and hanging out/fishing this place:

What about meeting your fellow HST members who share your enthusiasm for the
Sierra? Just joking.
Thanks for posting your spreadsheet, could be useful to folks looking for alternate/easier
ways to get to Wallace. It may even get SSSDave interested now that there
is a spreadsheet on it.

[Jimr]

Here's my itinerary
http://caltopo.com/map?id=686O" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[maverick]

Have reserved 6 permits (one for myself and one for Claus) for the 22nd. This will
allow 4 of you who would be more comfortable hiking over Shepherd Pass with a group
and getting to Wallace Basin to do so. Please PM me if you would like one of the
4 remaining permits slots.

[Hobbes]

Kathy W, as usual, provides a bit of sanity with regards to New Army Pass vs Army Pass. I created another spreadsheet that shows the route up NAP, which by the looks of things adds about .4 miles:



For those who are unaware of the great NAP vs AP debate, there have been 2 deaths on Army Pass - as a result of falls - in the last 4 years. One occurred when there was still snow/ice on the cornice, and the other was in a fogged in rain storm (ie slippery + poor visibility). AP faces north, so snow remains well into summer, and it hasn't been maintained for over 30 years after the FS moved the main trail to NAP.

I came down AP a few years ago in Sept, and it's actually pretty straightforward when everything is "just right". However, the advantage NAP has is that it leaves all that drama behind. It such a well engineered pass that I've practically jogged up it before.

The other advantage of NAP is that you can hike to either Long or High lakes the day/afternoon before - High is only 1 mile from the pass - to get really close to the top. That cuts down the mileage for the next day:

AP - day 0 = 5.5 miles, day 1 = 11.0 miles
NAP - day 0 = 6.5 miles, day 1 = 10.4

I'm now leaning towards NAP, simply because I don't want to have any potential hiccups. I have a place in mind to reach on day 1, I've done each portion (including a trip to the top of Langley) of all these various routes before, so I want to just motor along in an attempt to experience a "perfect hike" ie no surprises, no mistakes.

And yes, Mav, I'm counting on having a fish fry with other members @ Wallace. Ole'.

[Hobbes]

Here's my itinerary

I'm planning on being @ the Crabtree lakes on the 22nd as well - we should look for each other. I noticed you're planning on staying at lake #1 (I think I'll stay @ #3). Lake #1 is pretty darn nice:



Either way, I'll probably see you on the trail and @ Wallace the next day. Btw, you can just walk along the edge of Crabtree mdw straight to the PCT, rather than cut over to the JMT/Whitney trail. There's a slight re-gain in elevation if you go that way - besides, that meadow is pretty bitchin' to walk along: